Team WRT delivered a commanding performance in qualifying for the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup at the Nürburgring, though their pole position remains under scrutiny following a controversial incident.
The Belgian squad’s No. 32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, piloted by Kelvin van der Linde, Charles Weerts and Ugo de Wilde, claimed pole position with a combined lap time of 1:54.426. This put them just 0.020 seconds ahead of their ROWE Racing counterparts in the No. 98 BMW, driven by Augusto Farfus, Jesse Krohn and Raffaele Marciello, securing an impressive BMW 1-2 at the German circuit.
The No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 completed the top three, though the Italian manufacturer’s hopes took a significant blow during the session. Whilst Alessio Rovera and Vincent Abril had dominated the opening two segments of the three-stage qualifying format, their pole aspirations crumbled when Alessandro Pier Guidi could only manage 22nd in the crucial final segment.
Ferrari’s troubles deepened when the sister No. 50 entry faced elimination from qualifying altogether. Antonio Fuoco’s collision with Sainteloc Racing’s Paul Evrard at Turn 1 during the second session ended their participation and condemned the car to a back-of-the-grid start.
Unlucky for the No. 50 Ferrari
Earlier in the weekend, pre-qualifying had been severely disrupted when track surface problems forced an early stoppage after barely 20 minutes. Officials were compelled to red-flag the session when the asphalt in sector three began breaking up, raising safety concerns that prevented further running.
Despite the truncated session, Antonio Fuoco managed to top the timesheets in the No. 50 AF Corse Ferrari with a lap of 1:54.959, becoming the only driver to break the 1m55s barrier. Augusto Farfus finished second for ROWE Racing BMW, just 0.149 seconds behind, whilst Mercedes-AMG’s Lucas Auer completed the top three, 0.198 seconds off Fuoco’s pace.
Controversial incident under investigation
The session’s most significant talking point involved the pole-sitting WRT BMW and the No. 17 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo of Jules Gounon. The incident occurred on the straight between Turns 4 and 5 after qualifying had resumed following an earlier red flag period.
Contact between Gounon and Weerts resulted in the Mercedes-AMG being sent off track and into the barriers. The collision appeared to happen as Gounon was weaving to warm his tyres, before contact from behind by Weerts eliminated the GetSpeed Mercedes from the remainder of qualifying. Race stewards continue to investigate the incident at the time of writing.
Gold Cup glory for Garage 59
Garage 59 celebrated Gold Cup pole position with their No. 58 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo finishing fourth overall after the GTWC Europe Endurance Cup Qualifying at the Nürburgring. The British squad’s driver lineup of Dean MacDonald, Louis Prette and Adam Smalley produced a strong performance to lead their class heading into the race.
The No. 7 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo completed the overall top five, with Marco Sorensen, Nicki Thiim and Mattia Drudi combining effectively to secure fifth position.
Strong showing across the field
The No. 22 Schumacher CLRT Porsche 911 GT3 R and No. 48 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo rounded out the top seven, whilst Rutronik Racing’s No. 96 Porsche qualified eighth. The German team will be hoping to improve on their position after claiming pole for last year’s three-hour Nürburgring encounter.
WRT’s second entry, the No. 777 Al Manar Racing by WRT BMW, secured ninth position, adding to the Belgian team’s strong showing at the German venue.
Optimum Motorsport’s McLaren crew of Mikey Porter, Largim Ali and James Allen in the No. 5 entry completed the top ten, finishing just ahead of the No. 188 Garage 59 McLaren that claimed Silver Cup pole position.
Bronze Cup pole honours went to the No. 74 Kessel Racing Ferrari, which qualified 23rd overall but leads their class heading into the endurance encounter.
With investigations ongoing and a closely contested field set for the race, the Nürburgring promises to deliver another thrilling chapter in the GT World Challenge Europe championship battle.
Results: GTWC Europe Endurance Cup Nürburgring Qualifying
